The Safe Kid
by LittleAmberAmethyst
Summary: Marco insists that he's not the safe kid. After he helps an injured Jackie Lynn, she helps him to understand that there's nothing wrong with being himself. Jackco.


**Here is story number three for Star vs. the Forces of Evil.**

 **While Starco can be cute, I prefer to ship Marco with Jackie Lynn. Here is a one-shot for Jackco.**

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Marco sat on the wall surrounding the steps outside the entrance to the school. Most of the students had already gone home, those who were left engaged in some school-based activity. Marco skimmed the pages of his psychology textbook, studying for the test scheduled in two weeks' time.

Star was asked to stay after class after her spell went awry, covering the entirety of the classroom with icing. She had begged Marco to wait until she finished cleaning up. Begrudgingly, he agreed.

He kept looking back at the double doors hoping the magical princess would sprint through with a zany story on how she managed to clean everything in a snap and in the process earned the favor of her home economics teacher.

The door opened and Marco nearly fell off the wall. The girl he had been crushing on since grade school stepped out with the skateboard in hand. She said farewell to her friend Hope who dashed down the stairs.

Jackie Lynn noticed the other presence on the steps. She looked over her shoulder and greeted Marco who stared with his eyes wide open and his lips clamped shut.

"Hey, Marco," Jackie Lynn greeted.

"H-h-hi," Marco squeaked.

Jackie Lynn chuckled then turned away. Marco groaned and felt like punching himself in the face for making such a stupid decision in front of his crush.

She climbed on the other side of the wall and lowered the board next to her. Marco gasped as she jumped atop the toy. Jackie Lynn fastened her helmet. The skateboard rocked as the blonde went to kick off.

"Wait! Wait!" Marco cried.

Jackie Lynn stabled herself with her foot then turned to face the brunet who blushed bright red.

"I, uh, I don't think that's a good idea," Marco said as he started to sweat. "You-you could get...hurt."

Jackie Lynn laughed. "Relax, Marco, I do this all the time." She kicked off and yelled, "Don't be such a safe kid!"

Marco growled. "I am not a safe kid!" he shouted. "I am a misunderstood bad boy!" He grinned with his head high and crossed his arms.

The smile vanished when he heard the girl of his dreams laugh at his declaration. Marco opened his eyes and slumped.

Jackie Lynn looked back at Marco. She never saw the bicycle approach. Marco gasped and shut his eyes as the two crashed. When he opened them he saw the blonde laying on the ground with two scraped legs and a bleeding arm.

The bicycler picked up his vehicle and checked on the injured girl. Marco dashed down the stairs and knelt down beside the skater.

"I'm so sorry," the other student cried. "I didn't-I didn't see you."

"Hey, it's okay," Jackie Lynn said with a groan. "I wasn't looking either."

"We should get you to the nurse," Marco suggested.

Marco took hold of Jackie Lynn's hand and helped her to her feet. The girl winced at the pressure on her wounded knees. Marco slipped Jackie Lynn's arm over his shoulder. The other boy, Dion, mirrored Marco's gesture. Jackie Lynn limped as the two boys assisted her to the nurse's office.

The nurse looked up as the patient walked in. She sighed at having to stay late due to an accident she believed could have been avoided. Nonetheless she motioned for the teenage girl to take a seat. She then walked out to grab a new box of gloves.

Marco and Dion aided Jackie Lynn over to the cot. Dion apologized again which the girl immediately forgave. He exited the infirmary, leaving Marco alone with Jackie Lynn.

"That wasn't necessary, I could've walked here myself," Jackie Lynn said.

"I-I know," Marco stammered. He started to sweat again. He brought both lips in. "I-I just-I didn't." He looked over at the smiling girl. Again Marco averted his eyes.

The skater laughed. "It's expected of Safe Kid," she teased.

Marco started. "I'm not a safe kid," he countered. "I'm as bad as the next guy."

"There's not a bad bone in your body," Jackie Lynn retorted.

"Oh yeah? Watch this," Marco cried.

He threw two punches and a kick. He spun around then karate chopped the counter. He yelped at the pain coursing through his hand. The jar of cotton balls toppled to the ground. The lid fell off and seven white balls rolled on the floor.

Marco felt his face heating up as Jackie Lynn laughed. The nurse walked back in and gasped at the mess on the floor she just swept. The boy pulled the strings on his hoodie blocking out his face. He then knelt down and picked up the tainted cotton balls and threw them in the waste basket.

In two minutes Jackie Lynn's wounds were disinfected and bandaged. She thanked the nurse despite feeling it was a waste of time receiving medical attention for something so insignificant.

The two students took their leave from the nurse's office. Once they were in the hallway Marco picked up speed to put distance between himself and his crush.

"Marco," Jackie Lynn said and clamped her hand on his shoulder. Marco turned, but only his nose was visible from the hood. "Please stop trying to be someone you're not."

Marco slumped. He pulled his hood back open and looked into the aqua eyes of the girl.

"There's nothing wrong with being the safe kid," she said. "You don't have to be bad to be cool."

Marco sighed. "I wish I could believe that."

"The real Marco is just as cool as the baddest boy in this school," she said and nudged him in the arm.

Marco blushed and his mouth formed into a smile. "You-you think I'm cool?" he asked.

Jackie Lynn nodded. "Who else besides Safe Kid would've waited for me to get patched up?"

Marco looked away and his face turned a darker red.

The two walked outside. Jackie Lynn's skateboard sat discarded in the grass. She ran down the stairs much to Marco's chagrin and picked it up. Marco released the breath he had been holding.

"Later, Safe Boy!" the blonde called and jumped back on her skateboard.

Marco smiled as he watched Jackie Lynn skate off into the distance.

Two heavy hands pushed him in the back. Marco's feet caught their balance before he toppled down the stairs. The brunet turned to see his housemate smiling wide with her fists pressed against her chin.

"I saw that," Star sang.

"What-what?" Marco stuttered.

"Oh, just you playing it cool with Jackie L," Star said with a giggle. "'You think I'm cool?'" Star teased, mimicking Marco's voice.

"Staaaarr," Marco whined.

Star laughed at how easy it was to annoy her best friend. She clasped her hands and changed the subject. "So guess what happened in Mrs. Clifford's class," she exclaimed. "We were making cakes and I told her I could do that too, only super fast, and I tried to rain down cupcakes. But something went wrong and only the icing..."

Marco tuned out Star's story. He smiled while thinking of Jackie Lynn's compliment for him.


End file.
